When we evaluate why there's been so much hype about payments on Twitter, and yet so little traction for us (and even far less for our competitors) it is clear to us that the reason is that a 3rd party payment service doesn't add enough value. We strongly believe that social payments will work on a social network, provided that they're done within the platform and not as a 3rd party. "Simple, social payments" is *the* philosophy needed to do digital payments right, but once a service groks that, they need only to implement it on their own. We've been the thought leaders in this space, we see the hype and excitement, and yet we know very intimately the difficulties in gaining actual traction. The only way to get around this is for the platforms themselves to control payments - then all people wanting to operate on that platform would have to play along. We believe that a payments system directly and officially integrated into social networks such as Twitter and Facebook will be a huge success.

Thank you to everyone who has supported and helped us along the way. (tipjoy.com :: our 2 ¢, August 20, 2009.)

If you value reading EGO and want to support my blogging, here are some ways you could do it:

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Donate" button. You will be directed to a secure page [ https://www.paypal.com ] PayPal. You don't have to have a PayPal account in order to send a donation. You could use your credit card if you want.

If you want to show your gratuity in a more public way, you could use ScratchBack. If you send a donation of $10, you will get listed on the top list. You add a link URL and a describing text of the site you want to promote on my blog. [Editor's note: If you are curios about position #3, "x", read Damon Hougland's post, The Story Behind PayPal X. In this instance, someone tipped me, but didn't complete the payment. I went in and approved it anyway in order to test the system. I think I will get a response from someone at "PayPal X", sooner or later... I want to send a thank-you note to BizSugar and Small Business CEO for their donations.]

If you want to give me stuff instead of money, please check out my wish list on Amazon. You are welcome to give me suggestions on things you think I need in my worklife as a blogger and a social media enthusiast.

You are welcome to come up with more ways to support my blogging. I look forward to hear your feedback and read your comments. Please spread the good word! Thank you! John Cox's post, AUCTION!: How Would You Like To Have....., could give you some ideas...